Why Seeing the World as Victim is Hard to Change, and What You Can Do About It

Here’s why seeing the world through a Victim’s eye is hard to change, and what you can do about it:

• A Victim is always superior to Villains. Status is a perk hard to renounce
• Victim gets pity, which is a form of attention, and attention nourishes. When one is depleted and disconnected from love, any attention will do, including pity.
• Many social organizations are built upon the Victim-Villain-Rescuer triangle model, with support systems that offers a venue to the Victim to complain about the Villain, organized by Rescuers.
• The Victim has the right to complain, which confers entitlement — another perk which is difficult to renounce.
• Victims have stories to tell, about injustice done to them or to others. The emotions aroused by stories of injustice are intense and compelling — from resentment to anger to rage and even hatred — which makes the stories highly likely to be heard. Emotionally charged stories draw attention, and attention nourishes the speaker.

I had enough adversity and known enough oppression as a descendent of Holocaust survivors and a child of an oppressive dictatorial regime behind the Iron Curtain, to be fused in my personal identity with the Victim aspect of my mind. I have complained, felt helpless, felt entitled and when my personal development fans friends told me that I saw myself as Victim and I should take my power back, I had…